Fruit-brushing machine.



PATENTE) MAR. 5, 1907. T.STRAIN.

FRUIT BRSHING MACHINE. APPLIGATION FILED Nov. 9, 1906.

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w f i f7 THE NnRRls Ps UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THouAs STRAIN, a citizen, of the United States, residing near Fullerton, in the county of-Orange and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Brushing Machines, of

' which the following is a specification.

Itis the object ot' my invention to produce a machine for brushing the outside ot fruit to remove the dirt therefrom of compact form and of great capacity and which will `separate the pieces of fruit as they pass through the machine, so that one piece of fruit will not rub against another While being brushed, and which will brush all parts of the fruit. I accomplish these objects by means of the machine described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in central vertical section, ot my improved machine. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the manner of unitin the brushes.

Since ling my application for a patent on. a fruit-brushing machine, Serial No. 292 ,287, iiled December 4, 1905, I have found by further experiments that a better result can be obtained by making the sides of the fruitrunway of horizontally-undulating vertical conchoidal brushes instead oi having the sides thereof smooth, as shown in said application, and I have also 'found that by making the top brush in sections yieldingly connected together and to the frame that the same will drop down into the channels between the conchoidal sections ot the brush, and Vthereby contact with the top of a small orange equally well as with that of a large orange.

In the drawings, 5 are the base-timbers of my machine, which are preferab,y the form of a cross. At the ends ot these base-timbers is secured the frame 6, the top of which is likewise in the form of a cross, and through the center of the top portion of the frame passes the vertical operating-shaft 7, which is provided at its top with a pulley 8, which is rotated by means of a belt 9 trom a source oi' power. (Not shown.) This operating-shaft also passes through a bearing 10, secured to the braces 11, which braces are secured to the base timbers. A bearing 12 is also secured to the top frame at the point where the operating-shaft passes therethrough. The lower end of the operating-shaft rests in a cup-shaped bearing 13, secured to the basetimbers. Rigidly secured to the operating- Specification of Letters Patent. Application led November 9, 1906. Serial No. 342,5 93.

Patented March 5, 1907.

circular flat bottom brush 14, whose upper face is covered with bristles 15. To the top of frame 6 is secured the serpentine conehoidal or convolute brush 16, which is provided with bristles on both sides thereof. This conchoidal brush is preferably made up of straight sections 16', secured to backingblocks 17, which blocks are Secured to the conchoidal web 18, as best illustrated in Fig. 3. The conchoidal web is supported by bolts 19, which p ass through the top cross-bars of the frame. The top ends of these bolts are threaded and provided with nuts 20, so that the conchoidal brush may be adjusted toward and away from the bottom brush so as to equalize as much as possible the wear on the conchoidal brush. To the cross-bars of the frame arel secured the top channelbrushes 21, which are adjustable at the ends thereof by means of bolts 22, and the various sections are hinged together by hinges 23, which are preferably strips of leather which permit the channel-brush to rise and fall to I accommodate inself to the size oi the orange passing through the channel. In Fig. 1 I have shown only a portion of these channelbrushes, the rest being only for clearness ot illustration; but it will be understood that the whole or only a portion of the channel may be provided with these channel-brushes as desired, the number depending upon the amount of brushing that the fruit requires. A piece ot heavy cloth could be substituted for these channel-brushes; but it is not quite as good, although it is cheaper.

In the operation ot my brusher power is applied to rotate the operating-shaft, thereby rotating the bottom brush. The fruit is fed into the feeding-spout 24, which delivers them into the central portion of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1, it the fruit requires the maximum amount of brushing; but if the fruit requires only a moderate amount of brushing a gate 25 in the side oi." the spout is opened and the fruit is permitted to enter a channel removed from the center. It the fruit requires only a small amount of brushing, a gate 26 is opened, so as to discharge the fruit into an outermost portion of the channel. These gates when opened are thrown to the position shown in dotted lilies in Fig. 1. The fruit passes out of the brusher into the delivery-spout 27.

By making the sides of the fruit-runway of horizontally undulating vertical con- Y shaft between the bearings 10 and 12 is theA TIO choidal brushes the fruit is retarded in its passage through the machine, thereby insuring greater eiiiciency in cleansing it.

By this Construction a brusher of very y compact torni, very efficient, and of great capacity is provided, because the Jfruit can be carried therethrough very rapidly, its passage therethrough being regulated by the speed oi rotation oi the bottom brush. It Will be observed that the channel 'forrneclby Nthe conchoidal brush grows larger toward the outside and that the peripheral speed of the bottom brush is faster as the outer edge is approached, and for that reason the fruit gradually increases its rate oi travel through the brusher, thereby separating the different pieces of fruit, so that one Will not rub against another, which is a very great advantage, as less injury will occur to the fruit than happens When one piece rubs against another as it passes through the brusher.

In an application iiled by me November 9,

y,1906, Serial No; 342,592, I have shown and described and claimed a brushing-machine in Which the sides of the brushing-channel are formed of horizont ally-undulating brushes channels formed by the conchoidal brush and the bottom brush, said top brush being secured to the top of the frame of the machine.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2d day o'i November, 1906. A

THOMAS STRAIN.

Witnesses G. E. HARM-IAM, EDMUND A. STRAUSE. 

